We’re proud to take part in this year’s #NoWrongPath campaign to raise awareness of a range of career routes and pathways that will always remain open to realising potential, no matter what results day brings.
Launched in 2017, No Wrong Path is a social media movement by Developing the Young Workforce (DYW). It has won awards and offers inspiration and reassurance to young people getting their results. This year, Results Day is on Tuesday, 5th August and we’re sharing stories from our team, mentors and supporters to show young people there are always options, no matter what news the day may bring later this week.
First up is Gary Bruce, Director of AMS Global Group and MCR Pathways mentor, who has experienced many ebbs and flows in his efforts to remain in an industry he loves.
“I left Peterhead Academy December 1984 with no qualifications, and started work as a trainee fisherman 4th January 1985.
“All I wanted to do was go to sea,” Gary says, “I was very fortunate to have James West as a skipper, who took me under his wing and taught me everything there was to know about running a fishing vessel. I did my mates and skippers fishing certificates, and by the time I was 21 I was a relief skipper.
“The following years were very tough for the fishing industry; it became impossible for me to get my own fishing vessel, in 1996 I made the decision to leave fishing which was hard as its all I ever wanted to do. I went back to marine collage and did merchant navy certification, no easy task for someone who left school with no qualifications, however I had a good understanding having done my fishing certificates. I started work as a deck officer on offshore vessels and eventually became Mate / Master.
“In 2016 my business partner Neil Carr and I started AMS Global Group, a Marine Consultancy and Safety Business employing 55 people globally. My advice to anyone would be have a goal and even if the goalposts move for whatever reason be willing to adapt and never give up, if you keep going you will get somewhere.”
If Gary’s story has inspired you to share your own, there’s still plenty of time for you to get involved, to inspire and reassure young people. We welcome everyone involved with MCR Pathways to share their stories – from young people, mentors, trustees, partners and our wider supporters.
From Monday 4th – Friday 8th August 2025, tell us your name, what you did when you left school and what you do now. Print out and fill in the #NoWrongPath 2025 template below, and send a photo of you holding it to marketing.comms@mcrpathways.org
Download the template – https://www.dyw.scot/uploads/1/0/5/5/105538585/nowrongpath_24_-_printable_participation_template.pdf
Could you dedicate an hour a week to become a volunteer mentor with MCR Pathways, and help a young person get on a path to realising their potential?
Register now: https://mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor/
